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THE 



OMENTAL ART 



F 



CHARMING HORSES 



AND 



COLTS: 



CONTAINING 

FULL INSTUrCTIONS TN RAISING. BREAKING, TRAIMVG 

RIDING, DRIVING, STABLING. FEEDING, AND 

DOCTORING HORSES. 



Bv CHARLES j/eLDRIDGE. 



Mi^iyUi 



CINCINNATI: 
PRINTED AND SOLD FOR THE PUBLISHER, 

ATIilE PKI^iTiiSG OFFICE S. E. COR. SYC. A THIAD, 

1867, 









^ddiiUii FiTiiif Hi 



Entered, accordiag to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 

ISAAC A. PITTMAN, 

In tlie Clerk's Oflice for tlie Southern ])i6triet oi Ohio. 



^ 






INTROPUCTORY REMARKS. 



The horse is the most noble and ihc most useful of the do- 
mestic animal?. It is only in a few localities, and under 
a fetr circumstances, that any other beast of burden can 
compare with him for usefulness; while for gracefulness 
and speed of motion, and for beauty and s^metry of form, 
the Ox, the Camel, the Ass, the Mule, the Elephant, are 
all completely and forever eclipsed. 

I need offer no other apology, then, for presenting to the 
public this little volume — the result of over thirty years ex- 
perience in the raising and training of this animal, and the 
study of the best authors on the same subject. 

Let none say I have misled them by my title. I 
shall give you all, there is of the Oriental, or Arabian Art 
of Charming Hordes. If what ihei/ call magic is only the 
practice of scientific principles, that is no fault of mine. 
It is the fault or the blindness of the Orientals themselves, 
in attributing to magic or supernatural agency that which 
caR be and is performed by natural means ; and it is cur 
fault if we believe such antiquated superstitions. 

Nor is it any deception to designate the method of train- 
ing vicious horses and colts, as set forth in this pamphlet, 
by the term charming. Charming may be practiced by 
natural as well as supernatural means; and there is no 
doubt but the Arabians and other Orientalists did all their 
charming on precisely the principle herein set forth ; though 
they pretended it was done by supernatural means, and 
though they might have been innocent in the belief that 
their success in taming the wild and vicious horse com- 
mitted to their charge depended on the particular terms of 
jtrcon which they whispered in his ear. 

Nor do tho«e who trav«rse the country giving lessons 
in the Oriental or Arabian Art of taming wild and vicious 



IV INTRODUCTORY REMARKS, 

horses, practic« any unwarranlable deception. They do 
all they promise, and more. They not only leach the en- 
tire Oriental method of taming the horse, but they rob it 
of its antiquated mysticisms, absurdities and difficulties ^ 
they show ihat what has heretofore been considered diffi- 
cult and complicated, can be explained on natural prin- 
ciples, and is easy to the comprehension and practice of 
every owner of a horse. 

The truth is, the Horse has hten a misunderstood an.d 
much abused animal. Indeed be has not been treated as mi 
animal, but rather as a stump which could be hewn dowi* 
with an ax and molded by the chissei into any desirable- 
shape ; or as a block of marble, quarried out by a charge of 
powder, tumbled along through ihe streets to the work- 
shop of the artist, to be by him hammered, chisseled, cut 
and carved into an equestrian statue. If we succeed, as- 
we think we shall, in establishing the claims of ihe Horse 
to an anJiuai nature, and/m showing how ihat natiire may ha 
most successfully subdued and rendered subservient to the 
usei of man, we shall cluim, whether we receive it or net, 
infinitely more credit than the Charmers of the Orient re- 
ceived, who shrouded the science in the veil of darkness 
and mysticism, while they left they astonished beholder o^ 
their peiformance:?, untaught and unenlightened in the 
modus operandi of theirpretended di\iiiaiiou3. 



PART I . 

THE ORIENTAL ART. 



rnE TR?JE PHILOSOPHY. 

We \iave t3rten read of tlie wonderful power which the Arabs 
and other Orientals nave over th« horse; of their takin«j 
them wild from the native forests, and by supernatural, or 
magic influence, training thera not only to the commoR 
purposes ofusefw^nees, but teaching them the gr-eatest pos- 
sible variety of feats, tricks, and wonderful performances; 
of their whispering to the horse as if !ii« possessed the spirit 
of some departed worthy, and diey were in confidence 
consulting and cemmunicatins with him. 

We have read, too, of the ' black art,' and the astound- 
ing miracles said to be performed by its means. We have 
seen persons, even in this enlightened age, who professed 
to believe in it; nay, more, we once met a livery stable 
3oafer who undertook to palm himself off on «sas a thor- 
ough practitioner of this Art, (?) and offered his services 
at a round price, m the business of charming, conquering 
and subduing tiae wiSdest and rncst ungovernable horses 
that Might be brought to him for that purpose. Those who 
will believe sach wild and superstitious notions, need 
itlhemselves to be tamed, and instructed into the first prin- 
ciples of modern science, and they deserve no pity if they 
are occasionally mo«t essentially humbugged. 

But that the Arabians and many Europeans and Ameri- 
cans have been wonderfully successful in breaking colts, 
taming vicious and ungovernable horses, and teaching them 
a great variety of tricks and performances, is an undisput^ 
ed truth ; and that the manner of doing this is well worthy 
ofheln^ called an Art, is equally true. 



6 THE ORIENTAL 

Who that has witnessed the astonishing performances of 
thi« noble animal in the Circus, but has at times almost 
attributed it to the possession of the human intellect; and 
all will admit that the instinct and traclability of the horse, 
are of the highest order of the brate creation. Yet such 
power orer the horse — and we had almost said any horse, 
but there is as much difference in horses as in men — can 
be possessed by any one who will practice a fewplainand 
simple rules. 

What, then, is the Arabian or Black Art of charming 
Horses? We apprehend it may all be summed up in 
three short words — patience, perseverance^ kindness. 

The Arabian has all these, and in addition, what too 
many in this country of luxury and extravagance, do not 
hare — an abundance of time. The Arabian, and those 
who hare pretended to practice the Black Art, are in the, 
habit of spending much time in the company of the 
Hors«. They ride the horse ; brush, curry and comb the 
horse; caress and fondle the horge ; talk, whistle, sing to 
the hone ; and, what too many are never known to do, 
levG the horse. By these various and continued means they 
obtain a wonderful power over any one of the race that 
may be placed under their charge. 

It matters but little to the horse whether his master 
whistles Yankee Doodle, or the ' tune that the old cow died 
on ;' or whether he talks plain English, French, German, 
or the hog-Latin gibberish of ghosts and hob-goblins, Gip- 
sies, Charmers or Soothsayers. The great point is to whis- 
tle something, and to say something in the most agreeable 
and friendly manner. It is the manner ef the master, and 
not the mailer, that interests and pleases the horse. The 
iiorse does not understand the English Language as laid 
down by JMurray and Webster, but he understands the dif^ 
fsrence between a friendly and an unfriendly tone af voicQ 
as readily as a child. 

We assert then and without fear of contradiction, th»t 
the whole secret of training hort^es, whether practiced by 
Arabians, Gipsies, Black Art performers, livery stable loun- 
gers or the worthy and honorable horseman, lies in perse- 
varance, kind and patient instruction, according to the, 
principles which we shall further illustrate in this volumt, 
as we progress with our subject. 



H0R8I CHAKMIS. 



EARLY TRAINING. 



Aa horses are mainly valuable for their utility to man, 
it is apparent that the full development of the physical 
system of the animal is not all that needs to be secured, 
though that is necessarily the primary department, upon 
which all else is to be based. The best developed animal 
might be so vicious as to be entirely valueless ; though it 
Y6 a rule, that development of form and of disposition cor- 
respond to each other. Yet, the horse being one of the 
most inielligent of the animal creation, and easily trained 
into objectionable as well as desirable habits, it behoores 
every one having the care of young horses and colts, to 
guard carefully the influences brought to bear upon their 
dispoiition. The usual custom througbout the VVest has 
been to let them run wild almost, until three or four years 
old^ and then put them through — not a regular system of 
'breaking,* — but such exercises as the disposition of the 
master might dictate^ at the moment, and which often ex- 
hibited far more of the spleen and irritability, impatience, 
and violence of temper of the man, than of care for the 
horse. Almost the first experience of life the colt gets, after 
/he has learned the use of his legs, is a pelting with small 
stones, clods, sticks, or switches, froaa mischievous boys, 
who delight in his infantile antics to avoid his persecutors; 
and thus, from the first, he learns to look upon man as an 
enemy to be dreaded and avoided, while evil 4isposings to 
kick, strike, tfec^ and ill nature genarally, are forced upon 
him. Age and strength accumulate, and with th.em ill 
treatment, (for the amusement of Its masters it may be, or 
by virtueof theirthoughtlessdisregard of causes and effects,) 
uutil, when large and old enough to become serviceable, 
the difficult and dangerous process of 'breaking' becomes 
necessary. And it too often happens, that when this is well 
done, as all admit it should be, the horse is really broken, 
and has lost all that spirit and nobleness so much admired 
in this truly noble animal. The whole idea of 'breaking' 
implies, in fact, a necessary evil, is part of the same phi- 
losophy which once made our school-houses depositories 
of birch, and theaters of tragic cruelty ; a philosophy which, 
thanks to enlightened progress, is rapidly pagsing away. 



8 THB ORJENTIL 

The colt should be accustomed to kindness, and gentle, 
yet firm handling, from the first, and in this manner learn 
perfect obedience to his master's will. The halter may, 
indeed should be, placed upon him when quite young, and 
he should learn to be guided by it in any direction, and 
with ease ; and as he grows up, one lesson after another 
may be added, as the owner's wishes or fancy may dictate, 
until, when the time comes that his services are demanded, 
he is ready trained for the service, educated in the way he 
should go, and will walk therein. The whole process 
should be one of careful avoidance of influences tending to 
create bad habits, teaching the animal what it will be re- 
q^uired to know, before that requisition comes, and by edu- 
cation supersede the necessity for the unphilosophical, 
and often brutal ' breaking.' 

The advantages of careful training during ojrowth, are 
many and important. It affords the best possible means 
of developing the animal in every respect J keeps him un* 
der the constant care of the owner, and induces him to 
think and reason upon what he does.-r-creates a sympathy, 
so to term it, between them, which elevates the character 
of both. It prevents the vicious habits usually engendered 
from carelessness of the owner, and which can not always 
be eradicated, and avoids the cruelty and abuse of * break- 
ing.' The horse may be made tractable, reliable, and safe, 
without having his energy and spirit crushed out of him ; 
and he may be noble, active and proud in his movements, 
without being restive, irritable, and treacherous, and as a 
consequence, will be more easily kept in fine condition and 
good health. It is only a continuation of the principles of 
breeding, extended to the full development of the animal, 
here advocated ; and, while all cannot be equally success- 
ful in this, as in any other of the pursuits of life, all will 
he more successful, and richly rewarded for their efforts to 
attain it. The principle reasons for the general untrained 
character of horses, seems to be the lack of any systematic 
effort at training, and the uncontrolled passions of those 
who have the handling and care of horses. It is no un- 
common thing to see angry bipeds venting their passion 
upon unoffending animals, as the most convenient recipient 
of their ire. And such scenes are not confined to the street, 



nORSe CHARMBR. 9 

the highway, or the farm ; but are found in all. The effects 
are mischievous, and ruinous to the best interests of the 
owner, because injuring and depreciating in value his prop'» 
erty in the market. Horse education, really, is a market- 
able commodity, and may be, indeed always is, estimated 
in dollars and cents. 



TAMING A VICIOUS HORSE. 

In nine cases out of ten, those who undertake to tame a 
vicious horse do the very things they ought not to do, 
while the things they ought to do they do not. 

While in the city of Boston, in the year 1836, I was, 
in company with several others, shown a beautiful, spotted 
horse, about eight years old, and well worth, if faultless, 
one hundred and fifty dollars, which it was said by the 
honest salesman no man could ride, or drive in a chaise, 
(a two-wheel vehicle much used formerly at the East.) 
Mr. A. said he would try him, and gave sixty dollars for 
the noble animal, which could not have been purchased 
for twice that sum, had he borne a reputation for good 
behavior. 

He led the horse home, about eight miles from the city, 
by the side of another, put him in the stable, fed him, and 
retired for the night. The next morning he went to the 

stable * to break the d d horse, or his own neck,' to 

use his own expression As he approached the horse, he 
remarked in a somewhat triumphant and defiant tone, ' So, 
ho, you are the fellow that allows no one to straddle your 
back, are you ? We '11 see whether you c^n shake me off 
as easy as you have some others ; if vou do, you will be 
the first horse that ever shook m^ from his hack.' 

It really seemed as if tha hor-e knew the substance of 
the remarks made in his hearing, by the motion of his 
head, the manner in which he stepped from one side of 
the stall to the other, and various other indications of un- 
easiness and suspicion. At any rate, whether he compre- 
hended the language of his n.3W master, or not, he evi- 
dently did not like the tone of his voice nor the awagfjer- 
tng of his person. A horse le-^rns the different inflections 
of the human voice sooner than many a school boy. 



10 THl OBIEMTAL 

Our hero now led the horse from the stable, put a saddle 
upon his back, buckled it with uncommon tightness, and 
after trying the stirrups to see that all was sound and 
right, with a single bound was in his saddle. 

Now commenced a scene of rearing, and springing, and 
pitching unlike anything I ever before witnessed. In re- 
taliation, the rider commenced using the cow hide freely 
over the rump, about the sides and legs of the animal, 
and at length over his head, eyes, ears and mouth. It was 
evidently a battle between two equally determined, but 
unequally powerful opponents — a trial of animal strength 
— an exhibition of dexterity — on the part of the aninaal, 
to throw off the disagreeable load ; on the part of the dis- 
agreeable load — the man — to conquer, to subdue, to main- 
tain his position. But the horse, being the stouter of the 
two, was the victor, and would have thrown his load a rod 
at least from his back, but for the rider's foot having caught 
in the stirrup ; and in that plight, the horse would soon 
have kicked his brains out, if he had any, but for the in- 
terfenmce and assistance of the by-standers, who soon 
liberated the prisoner from his critical situation. 

But was the horse broken ? No. But the owner was — • 
from any future attempts to ride a vicious horse. 

One of the spectators of this scene asked the owner 
of the animal what he would take for him. Being taken' 
in just the mood for selling cheap, he replied, ' any thing 
you pleaibe,' A bargain was soon struck up, and the horse 
changed hands for $50. The crowd was making tracks to? 
ffiilow the horee to the stable of the new owner, but the' 
latter obserred that he should make no attempt to ride him 
at present, and when he did, he should by no means allow 
any one to be present on the occasion. 

Three weeks after this, I, with many others in the viU 
lage which was now the new home of this 'vicious horse,* 
had the pleasure of seeing this gentleman (for though he 
was what is termed a horse jockey, he was a gejitleman 
i-a his treatment of horses) pass through the place grace- 
fully riding the back of this noble, but heretofore proscribed 
animal, with apparently as much pleasure to the horse as 
to the rider. There was no springing, rearing or whipping; 
but the horse and the rider mored up and down the main 



H0R8S CHIHMEK. 11 

thoroughfare of the village, in the presence of hundr^ ds 
of excited .spectators, as if they were a part of each oih<jr. 

How -was this miraculous change brought about ? I will 
give you the horse tamer's own account of the matter, as 
nearly as my memory will serve at this distHhi periuti of 
time ; which, however, is uncommonly distinct, for the 
circumstance made an indelible impression on my mind, 
as it constituted my first valuable lesson in the ' Onciital 
Art of Charming Horses.' 

"I took my horse home," said he, "and spent several 
days in forming an acquaintance with him. I might have 
succeeded in riding him sooner, but then, I am very formal 
about such matters — 1 want to be regularly introihicef; >:o a 
horse — a coquettish, shy, non-committal, bashful, nervous, 
eicitable, ^egotistical, joking frolicksome, quick -lenVpered, 
vicious, or lazy horse (for horses have as greai a varMty of 
characteristics as men, or wom'^m either) — as r(<guiariy in- 
troduced as to one whom I might choose for a partner in 
business or a partner at the altar. 1 want th^a, lo bscomQ 
intimately acquainted — go through a reguiafv aoarjtsh^'f— 
that we may love each other ; for i will never O" n ri hcrsa 
that I can not love. 

But, as I was saying, I took my hors i-'.ujjc; ;■ .. .... :n 

a clean nice stable, fed him with the be^vi ;had, b>aeiied 
him, combed him, conversed with him, ca-r; r-t'i ■, •"'• my- 
self- — I never have a servant to do mycou'i ... :.: ,1 e. 
We soon became the best of friends. I c. n :;/,;.,;< idl 
when I am getting the right side of a horse. At fa;;,4. ha 
was shy — treated mewitli much coolness—then became 
too familiar by half. I put on ry best countenance, and 
talked to him in my most wooin,2 tones, I sucfc^dTded in mak' 
ing him know me, love me, and fear me. I! sray fo«r-.me, 
for I whipped him— r-I whip horses as I do ohiliren — nove? 
in anger, always from a sense of duty ; and I take imoie^ 
diate steps to let t+ie animal know why 1 whip him, -nd 
how painful it is for me to do so. 

At length 1 led him into the center of ihe stHble, placed 
a saddle gently across his back, and then went to his head 
and caressed him. I was a long time adjusting the saddle 
tp 3uit me, for my time was principally occupied in win- 
ding the affection of the horse. At length, all things ready » 



12 THE ORIENTAL 

I crawled shyly upon his back, setting down so easily, 
that he could scarcely distinguish the time when I was fair- 
ly fixed ; my head mean time, and for some time afterward 
close to his. I made no motion for him to go, but slipped 
off, and went for a pair of mittens, though it was July ; put 
on the mittens and again mounted his back cautiously — 
no, not cautiously, for it will never do to be cautiovs — but 
in a friendly, familiar manner, as much as to say, I have a 
right to a place on your back, but, then, it is with your 
leave, sir. After turning him around once by the bridle, 
I was again off to get my hat, then my whip, etc., etc, and 
finally took off his saddle and put him back into his stall. 
This I did several times, perhaps more times than was ne- 
cessary, but I was in no hurry. 

1 next took him into the yard, and jumping upon another 
horse,"'rode several times around him, then left that and 
mounted him, and rode several times around the first horse. 
This was a great feat — it was ' glory enough for one day ;' 
I therefore put the horse up and left him for a day. 

The next day 1 tried both horses again, but rode a longer 
time than the first day. Again, I ventured still farther, 
riding around my house, then down the road to the brook 
and back, until Anally, I can take a journey on the best 
saddle horse 1 ever owned, which cost me hutf/y doJhr.9. 

Now who will say that horses have not sense? Who 
win say that they must not be treated, at least as we would 
treat a dog, or a cat, or a bird, that we would wish to tame 
and instruct? 



TEACHING A HORSE VARIOUS TWCKS. 

Almost any Horse can be taught to. perform tricks, but 
some horses are more tractable than others. You must 
select a good shaped, bright eyed, nimble, playful horse, 
not too large, nor too stoutly built. Softie Horses are made 
only to work, and others only to be lazy. Neither of these 
should be selected as a trick horse. If you are any judge 
of horses, your own judgment, better than a page of direc- 
tions, will enable you to pick out your horse. He should 
also be healthy — it is waste time to teach a cripple that 
which he can not perform well, if at all. 






H<m&E CHARMER. Iw 

Now, presuming you have the right kind of a horse, ob- 
serve strictly the lollowing rules all ihiougb. 

1st. Never treat your hoise with any thing but kindness. 
You may have a whip, and crack and snap it; occasional- 
ly use it to good purpose around your horses le^s lie will 
soon learn whed-er yuu do it becaisse you are his master, 
have a right to use it, and do not use it with cruelly ; Oi* 
whether you are unreasonable, bad-tempered, and impa-* 
lient. 

2d. Never allow any one to feed, curry or iake any othe^ 
care of your horse ; or if you must occasionally commit 
him to other hands, the> should be charged not to noiictj 
him, or play with him, but be as indifferent as possible in 
their irtatment o[ him. Your horse should iearn that no 
one loves him or cares for him but yourself. You shoulci 
endeavor by every possible method to impress him with thtj 
idea that be \s ?/our horse, yoar pet, your friend, and must 
do all these things which you are leaching him just for you^ 
gratification alone. 

3d. Never allow any other horse, animal, child or mau 
to be piesent while you aie giving instruction. After he* 
has become familiar with his lessons and perforais them 
well ; after you are satisfied and he is satisfied, that the 
thing is well done, then you may venture to introduce one 
spectator, then two, a dozen, or thousand. But undeitaka 
no neio trick in presence of spectators. 

4th. Never undertake more than one thing at a time. 
However simple that thing may be, let your horse become 
familiar ana dexterous in that before confusing him with 
anything else. 

5ih. When your horse has performed well, always ca- 
ress, fondle and feed him. Put your head up to his, and 
your a?inr around his neck, and tell him he is a fine boy, 
and shall have the best oats that can be had in market. 
lie don't know the meaning of youi words, but you can- 
not say all this to a horse, without doing it in just the man- 
ner which indicates to him your affection, interest and ap- 
proval. This is just the very thing wanteil Tliis is 
precisely the Oriental An of Charming Horses. It is. to 
win his favor, excite his pride and ambition, enlist his al- 
fet'iions. .\ hors^, aod, iiidced, for ibut matter, nearly uU. 



H THS ORIIIfTAL 

aninjals — have all the affections and instincts of man, and 
ihcyonly want to be appealed to, and enlisted in your be- 
half, when they will be ten times more obedient to your 
wishes, and subservient to your demands, than the most 
abject office seeker is to the President, the Governor or 
the ' Dear People.' 

Now if you have pricked out your horse and will observe 
the above rules, you may begin by taking a handkerchief and 
placing in a certain part of the stable. Then pointing to 
the handkerchief, say, ' Bring me that handkerchief, sir/ 
leading the horse to 'it (first presuming however that he 
has seen and smelt of it twenty times before), bearing his 
head toward it, and at the same time lifiing it^ up to his 
mouth. Put it into his mouth — if he is disposed to drop 
it, hold it to his mouth, and lead him to the other side of 
the stable and put it down. Now take the handkerchief 
aiid carry it back to where you put it first, then come back 
to the horse and say, as before, (in fact, always use the 
same expression and in the same tone of voice) bring me 
that handkerchief, sir; if he does not start for it, lead him 
as before, and pass through the whole ceremony precisely 
as the first time. The third or fourih time, you can venture 
to snap your whip and manifest son e signs of displeasure, 
but finish with a friendly gesture and word, and again lead 
him to the object, and go through the whole round of cere- 
mony. He will at length go so far as to go and take the 
handkerchief in his mouth, and then from pure mischief, 
perhaps, shake it about, or carry it anywhere else but wh( re 
you want him to. Then snap your whip, and agair. make 
him carry it to the place where you were standing or sit- 
ting. Follow this up and you will soon learn your horse 
to bring your handkerchief to you witkoutyour moving from 
your position; then your hat, gloves, or any oth<-r objeet. 

If it is a pail, and he takes hold of it by its side instead 
of the handle, go to him, take it from his mouth, and put the 
handle in his mouth, saying, * that is not right, sir, this is 
the way ! ' Some such expression as this should be always 
used, and always in precisely the same way, when he does 
not perform correctly, and he will soon learn what is meant 
by it, if applied to any other transaction improperly per- 
formed. 



nonsm chahmbr. 15 

You can now go on and teach your horse any tiaing yon 
please. You can leach him to go and bring your cows or 
sheep for you ; and though he will not learn it as readily, 
nor be as serviceable for that purpose as a well trained dog, 
ycl the novelty of the transaction well repays for the ex« 
tra trouble that is taken. 

It is by such means that a circus horse is taught to lie 
down or sit up ; hold up one footer the other at'coramand ; 
shake his head, as if to say no, and nod his head as if to 
say yes, to any question; to turn half way or all the way 
around, and remain in that position until he hears a certain 
word. To pick ont the letters of the alphabet, and spell, 
not any word, but such words as he has been taught to 
spell. There is, in fact nothing which you may not learn a 
horse to do, if you will. But you must observe strictly the 
above rules. Any one else tampering v/ith your horse, and 
directing him in a little different way, causes him to mistake, 
and he is as sensitive of the mistake as a man would be, 
and will not like to try it again. 



BREAKING COLTS. 

There is a great difference in Colts, and consequently some 
will of necessity be harder to break than others. But [he 
methods are the same in nature with all colts. Some will 
require much more time and patience than others ; but 
whatever the amount of time, it is ol no use for you to fret, 
worry, swear and rave at them. For every minute spent 
in raving at them you will have to spend ten in gentle- 
ness, kindness and patience afterward. It is seldom that 
a c oh mz( St be tamed on the very day you at first select 
and when you or they are likely to get out of patience, it is 
better to postpone operations till anotiier time. 

The first thing is to approach him, in the stable, or a small 
enclosure, in a familiar, friendly manner, with nothing in 
your hand, and no person or animal in sight. As you ap- 
proach extend one hand toward him and commence talking 
to him in a low tone of voice. No matter what you say, 
but say something — keep your tongue going. There is 
nothing so potent with the horse a3 the ' gift of gab : ' hence 
it is no doubt, that many of the most celebrated horse tarn- 



16 TDE ORIENTAL 

CIS, have not been equally celebrated for enlt'fjhtened con- 
versational powers. 

As you dwaw near the horse, or colt, if he turns from you, 
stop until he slops and has taken another look at you. 
He will then allow, you to approach still nearer. If he 
again starts, stop yourself again. It is of no use to follow 
him while he is in motion. He can move faster than you 
can, and will only widen the distance between you. 
When he finds you have not hurt him by being within two 
rods of him, he may let you come within a rod and a half. 
If yow can not get up to his head and take hold of it within 
fifteen cr twenty minutes, better postpone the attempt for 
an hour or two, or longer at convenience. 

When you have succeeded in reaching his head, pat him 
on ihe neck, put your head close to his, and talk to him, 
and he will soon be pleased with the familiariiy. If you 
are not in too great haste, it is better to do this with him 
frequently, before approaching him with any thing in your 
hand. 

So much being accomplished, you can now approach 
him with a halter, whip or any thing else ; but if he turns 
from you, do not follow him up. Leave him and again go 
with nothing in your hand. Be exceedingly careful you 
do not lose favor with him; if you do, you must begin all 
over again. Once his friend, never let him suppose you 
are or can be his enemy. 

After you have Ibndled with him several times with a 
whip, halter, harness or any thing else you please, lake a 
leather halter (in no case use a rope halter) and put it to 
his nose, then rub it on his neck, around his head, mouth 
and nose, being carelul always not to approach too near 
his eyes. Do this frequently before putting it over his 
head. When you get ready, put it over his head so easily 
and with so much unconcern that he will not kuowyou havo 
any designs in doing it. Do not attempt now to fasten it, 
unless he is very tame, and submissive. Take another op- 
portunity. 

After your colt has become used to the feeling ofthe hal- 
ter, you can then lead him about ; but if he falls back, go 
up to him and paUhim on the neck. Don't let him have 
^ chance lo uy his staTJ^ih ; if you do, he will tind out 



H0B6B CHARMER. Il 

that he is stronger than you are. This neither a colt nor 
a horse ever ought to know. When you have succeeded 
thus far with him, and you and he have had no ' falling 
out/ you can go on step by step, making him familiar by 
degrees with every kind of service to which he is liable to 
be called. 

Every colt should be made familiar with drums, fifes, 
horns, Rail Road «ars ; and with various colors and objects. 
But never approach them or look at them while making 
any uncommon noise for the purpose of breaking them. 
Whatever you do in this line, should be done, at first, at a 
distance, until, the colt cares nothing about it; then ap- 
proach a step nearer. Avoid all sudden frights. I once 
knew a young horse to be so badly frightened at the noise 
and sudden motion of a company of children coming out 
of a school soon, that he would shy off the track for months 
if two or three children passed him on the road. I have 
known horses to be equally frightened at a Rail Car. Itis 
better to pasture them, if possible, near but not too near a 
Rail Road track, and then in a lot adjoining a track. If 
you can not do this, the first opportunity you can have, 
take them near, but again not too near, a Rail Road track. 
Next time a little nearer, always letting them see the cars 
as they pass. Colts that are properly trained to familiari- 
ty with all such things as they are likely to see and hear, 
will never afterward be frightened while in the harness. 
Of course most of the above applies only to colts that are 
very skittish. 



KICKING. 

This is generally brought on by boys tampering with the 
legs of the horse, or by poultry running around his legs 
and annoying him, or by the reins, etc., getting under his 
tail or around his legs while on the road. Prevention 
here, as in all other bad habits, is worth more than cure. 
It is a very difficult matter to break a horse of the habit 
of kicking at every little annoyance, when once the babit 
is confirmed. 

Kicking against the sides of the stall can generally be 
prevented by attaching thorns to the sides of the stall, or 



1^ 



THE ORIENTAL 



anything that -will prickle without injuring the feet. Kick- 
ing in the harness is best conquered by stout straps, so 
adjusted as to prevent his raising his hind feet. The strap 
must be very strong and a little springy, and then, it must 
be resorted to more for the purpose of preventing the horse 
from breaking the carriage, than with any expectation of 
reforming him. 

The best plan is to begin early with your colt : or, if 
your colt is already a horse, then begin at once a thorough 
system of training, to get him used to various annoyances 
by degrees, and with kind treatment, as in the manner 
herein recommended for putting on the bridle. Any horse 
can be taught to disregard the reins getting under his tail, 
Or the foot-board coming up against him, just as easily as 
he can be reconciled to the saddle, or the bits. All such 
things are an annoyance to the horse or colt, when first 
submitted to. The drum and fife and other musical in- 
struments are an annoyance ; so also the Railroad car and 
the steam whistle. We train our horses to such things — 
then why not train them to every thing with which they 
are likely to be annoyed. Any man who does not love a 
horse well enough, or who does not take enough pride in 
him to guard him in the first four years of his life against 
the dangers of the future, should never own a horse. He 
should at once adopt some branch of business that will 
enable him to get along without a horse, and forever after- 
ward resort to the Railroad car and the Steamboat. 



HOW TO CATCH COLTS IN THE PASTURES OR PRAIRIES. 

If they are very wild or shy, two or even three should be 
employed to go on all sides and gradually approach them. 
Do no look directly at them, nor approch in a direct line, 
nor raise the hands as if to head them off. You must not 
let them mistrust that you want to catch them. Let one 
who is on a horse approach slowly, and if your horse will 
nibble the grass, let him do so a minute, and then take a 
step nearer ; by such means you can soon go in among 
them, and after your horse has smelt of them and they of 
him, then turn toward your home, and in most cases they 
■will follow into th« barn yard. If they will not do it at 



HORSB CHARMER. 19 

first, persevence will always succeed. It is sometime well, 
but not always necessary, to feed them. 
- Avoid ail iiaste, noise, flurry, excitement. If you get 
out of patience, do not let your colts know it; if you do, 
you will have lost all your labor thus far. If you can not 
control yourself in this matter, it is doubtful whether you 
can control the colts after you catch them. I firmly be- 
lieve that the wildest prairie colt may be caught wiihout 
the lasso or the trap, if one has sufficient patience, and ex- 
ercises a little dexterity and prudence. 



SLIPPING THE HALTER. 

Some Horses are very dexterous at this, and almost always 
succeed in getting loose in the stable, keeping other horses 
awake, and endangering their own limbs to the kicks of 
others, besides other evils. 

The web of the halter should be made so as to slip only- 
one way ; or a strap may be buckled around the neck, and 
attached to the halter just tight enough not to injure or an- 
noy him, but to prevent his -slipping it off. 



RESTLESSNESS WHILE BEING 8H0ED. 

If a young horse is unwilling to be shoed, he should be al- 
lowed to see several others go through the operation, be- 
fore taking his turn. This, with other means of gentleness 
will generally succeed. But if not, then it will be nec- 
essary to put your horse through a regular course of train- 
ing — to do in fact what should have been done before he 
was ever sent to be shoed at all. 

Take his foot up frequently and hold it as the smith does, 
until he cares nothing about it, then hammer it and do 
whatever else will bean imitation of the pr(jcess of shoe- 
ing. By such means your horse will be prepared for an 
operation which would otherwise be strange to him. A 
horse does not refuse to be shoed from mere bad temper; 
it is because he does not know what you want to do with 
his foot, or be has been roughly handled, badly trained, 
or previously maimed by some careless smith. 



no THB ORIENTAL 

TO PREVENP ROLLING IN THE ST ALL. ^ 

This is a very dangerous habit, and can be prevented only 
by tying the horse so that he can lie down, but not touch 
his head to the floor. This is very tiresome to the horse, 
and hence, if you care enough for his comfort and health, 
build a narrow platform, eighteen to twenty-four inches in 
width, slanting at an angle of thirty to forty degrees, so 
that it will form a pillow for his head amd neck ; then 
adjust a rope so that as he lies down his head will natu- 
rally rest on the platform, or pillow. He will not roll, 
-unless he can get his head as low as the floor of the stable. 



I 



now TO BREAK HORSES FROM BALKING. 

In the first place never teach your horse to balk, by giving 
him a greater load than he can carry, or requiring him to 
go up too steep a hill without permitting him to stop. If 
you tell him to stop, in going up a steep hill, it is better 
than to allow him to do it of his own accord. If he finds 
he can stop of his own will, and start when he pleases, 
he will soon learn to do it when he ought not to. If at 
any time he stops without your stopping him, give him a 
sharp cut, and make him go on. even if you think he ought 
to stop at that very place ; but soon yourself give him an 
opportunity to stop. This will teach him that he is to stop 
only at your will, and that you are not unreasonable in 
your demands. I believe that all balky horses are in the 
first instance taught to balk by their'careless and inconsid-* 
erate owners, who overload them, and allow theii} to stop 
or go according to their own will. Once a horse finds he 
can stop at will without reproof, he will stop, perhaps on 
a smooth road, or in the middle of a village, or on the 
street of a city, where you will be mortified as well as 
discommoded. 

But what shall we do with a horse who has thoroughly 
learned to balk, and whom whipping only hardens ? Des- 
perate remedies should sometimes be used for desperate 
cases, and you may in such cases either kill your horse as 
not being worthy the oats you give him, or you may fasten 
him to a strong carriage, put on a strong harness and reins, 



H0E8E CUARMBR. 21 

and seating yourself firmly in the vehicle drive on ; if he 
balks, set fire to a hunch of shavings or a newspaper at 
his heels, or a bunch of fire crackers.; he is bound to go in 
such case — perhaps loo fast for you — but of this you must 
run your risk. It is a desperate remedy, but when kind- 
ness and good treatmeitt do not succeed, such a remedy 
will succeed better, and is more humane, than beating, 
unmerciful whipping, etc., which seldom succeed at all. 



CRIB BITING. 

This is a bad habit and very annoying to the owner of 
a horse. Various remedies have been tried such as iron- 
ing the manger, petitions etc. I know of no certain cure 
but an iron muzzle, with bars just wide enough apart to al- 
low the horse to pick up his grain and draw out his hay 
wiih his tonge, but not to get hold of any thing with his 
teeth. If this habit is not broken it will soon be imitated 
by every horse in the stable. 

TO MAKE A HORSE LIE DOWN AT NIGHT. 

Horses that never lie down when they sleep will not do as 
well as those who are in the habit of it. They perhaps 
are afraid of being caught by the halter, or they have al- 
ready been cast in the night, and do not like to try it again. 
Such horses should be let loose in a stable at night, or in a 
large stall, without being tied, and furnished with a tempt- 
ing bed, until the habit of lying down is acquired, and the 
fear of it removed. 



UNWILLINGNESS TO BE BIOUNTED. 

In some this is mere playfulness, while in others it is a de- 
cided unwillingness to be driven. Give such horses as the 
former more hay -and less oats, and never let them start 
immediately on your mounting them or getting into the car- 
riage. A systematic and persevering course of such treat- 
ment will in the end usually teach the horse that you are 
not ready for him to go the instant you touch your foot to 
the stirrup, but you have your gloves or mittens to put on, 
or your reins to adjust, and it is useless for him to be in a 
hurry 

But if it is because he does not want to go, then it may 



22 THE ORIENTAL 

be be wants more oats and less hay ; or be bas been per- 
haps badly used when out on former occasions. In either 
ease, however; whipping does no good ; indeed I am satis** 
fled that for all viciousness in horses, whipping does no 
good, but only aggravates the evil. An occasional sharp 
crack with the whip, tollowed by tones of friendship fami- 
liar to the horse, will generally do good ; but if your horse 
has never heard you use such tones, then you had better 
sell him at once, anil get a horse without bad habits — some 
drone which has not life enough in him to be restless, and 
not strength enough to kick. 



RUNNING A?VAY. 

The best way to cure this, if it is a settled habit, is to get 
your horse on a good road, and if he starts, let him go, and 
the moment he slacks give him a sharp cut with the whip» 
until he has had as much running as he wants. 



RESTIVENESS. 

This is on« of the worst manifestions in the horse. It is 
the result of bad management in the early training of the 
horse, and when once a settled habit, it becomes dangerous 
fo any but the best rider or driver to attempt his manage- 
ment. Whipping, hallooing, jerking and yanking with the 
bridle only make the matter worse. If you cannot soothe 
such a horse by kind treatment, you had better give 
him up as a hopeless case. 

BITING. 

This is generally the result of allowing boys to ' fool 'with 
a horse, by pointing sticks at him ; though some times the 
cause is in the natural disposition of the horse. Here again 
whipping is of no use. Stewart says he has seen horses 
whipped till nearly dead, but to no effect. If you can 
obtain something exceedingly disagreeable to the taste of a 
horse, as some very bitter herb, saturate a piece of cloth 
and wind it around a stick for him to bite at, it will often, 
in connection with kind treatment, have a tendency to break 
him. A single sharp cut of the whip across the mouth on 
the instant, will sometimes do good ; but unmerciful whip- 
ping, raving, swearing — never ! 



PART II. 



THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE HORSE. 



! ; • BREEDING HORSES. 

lMi?ORTANT and necessary as it is to secure the best pos- 
sible condition, make, and character of both sire and dam, 
it is not sufficient to insure complete success. In a world 
where briers, weeds, and poisonous grasses grow spontan- 
eously, and the fruits and grains which support life are 
grown only by laborious cultivation, eternal vigilance is the 
price of good life, and ample sustenance. The first con- 
ditions being settled, leaves no recess for slumbering. The 
mare needs constant care. She must be kept in good health 
and condition — must be fed with care, both as regards 
quantity and quality ; — must be sheltered from storms and 
bad weather, — must have exercise and room for recreation, 
avoiding sudden, violent exertion ; — must be kept free from 
the noxious gases of foul and ill- ventilated stables; — 
should be combed and rubbed frequently, and, in short, 
everything should be done which tends to cultivate and 
sustain that condition of life, strength, action, and spirit, 
to be desired in the offspring. The forming animal derives 
no elements of its being from other source than the mother's 
system. During gestation, her vital fluid fills the foetal 
veins, and if, from any depressing or exhausting influence 
that blood is deficient in vitality, it cannot supply that life 
and energy, that perfection of development, to the new being 
which a better condition would impart. Every influence 
affecting injuriously the mother's health, vitiates the life 
fountain of the new being; hence the necessity and value 
of the utmost care and attention (juring the period of 
gestation. 

All the attention requisite before foaling, is equally im- 
portant afterwards. In the one case, the foetus derives its 



24 THE ORIENTAL 

nourishment direct from the blood of the mother; in the 
next, the foal obtains its sustenance from the milk made 
from that blood, and it is not less important that the blood 
be healthy and pure to insure the proper quantity and 
quality of nutriment to the young animal. For this reason 
the mare should not be put to hard work soon after foaling, 
nor, indeed, to severe and constant toil during the time of 
suckling her young. She should be well fed, and allowed 
good pasturage, affording both food and room for exercise. 
An idea that half-starved and stunted colts make tough, 
hardy horses, has long existed among a portion of the farm- 
ing community; and so opposed is it to all facts, so con- 
trary to all the teachings of reason and philosophy, so 
absurd in itself, that its very existence is astonishing. — 
When every tissue of the organization is made up from the 
nutriment taken into the system, and from that only, as 
every one knows, it is not easy to conceive how those tis- 
sues should be better formed if only half supplied with 
forming materials ; yet such has been the idea. And 
though a few good animals have been raised in this man- 
ner, it needs but a moment's thought to decide that they 
must have been much better if well cared for, and fully fed. 
Observation, it is thought, will convince any one that such 
horses are imperfectly developed, are more liable to the 
encroachments of disease, are wanting in action and spirit, 
and do not exhibit that symmetry and beauty of form char- 
acteristic of well fed animals. 

Youatt, who has written much, and scientifically, upon 
the economy of the horse, says : 

'• The breeder may depend upon it, that nothing is gain- 
ed by starving the mother, and stinting the foal at this 
time. It is the most important period of the life of the 
horse; and if, from false economy his growth is arrested, 
his puny form and want of endurance will ever afterwards 
testify the error that has been committed.^' 

There is no principle of greater importance than the lib- 
eral feeding of the foal during the time of his growth, and 
particularly at the time of weaning. Bruised oats and bran, 
or other nutritious and easily digestible articles, should 
form a part of his daily food ; and the farmer may be as- 
sured that the money is well invested which is expended 



HORSE CHARMSB. 25 

on the liberal nourishment of the growing colt. With lib- 
eral range, he should have good shelter from storms and 
the inclemencies of the weather. Too often, however, after 
weaning, he is left to struggle on as he can,' and becoming 
poor and dispirited, may be seen shivering beside a fence, 
rheum running from his eyes, his rough, shaggy, dirty coat 
a habitation for vermin, and himself a sad specimen of 
poverty and misery. Not a great number of such cases 
maybe found at this time, compared with the past; but 
there is far too much carelessness and inattention to young 
animals of all kinds. The dictates of humane feeling and 
the demand of the owner's purse, when understood, will 
remedy the evil; and reform, in these matters, as in most 
others, will come from a linowledge of, and reasons for the 
better way. The agricultural wealth not yet developed, 
both vegetable and animal, may some day astonish the 
dull eyes of the present old fogyish portion of young 
America. 



THE HORSE IN THB STABLE. 

If one would have a good horse on the road, he must take 
care of him in the stable. To the man who is fond of that 
noble animal, the horse, the stable is no mean place which 
is the home of his faithful servant. A part of the secret of 
the differences among horses, may be found in the different 
ways they are treated in the stable. 

This building need not have the embellishment of archi- 
tecture, nor be made air tight ; but it should be comfortable 
— made to promote the comfort of its occupant. It should 
be well ventilated, by allowing a draught of fresh air con- 
stantly to pass through it, especially during the warmer 
months. Do not allow the air of the stable to be made 
offensive and unhealthy by the presence of ammonia escap- 
ing from the excrements. Keep the air in your stable as 
sweet as it is in your own house ; for such is necessary for 
the health of a horse. 

Plaster of Paris used freely about the stable, is quite 
desirable — both on the score of comfort and profit. It is 
cruel to foster a noble horse in a stable where the air is 
suffocating on account of noxious gases constantly generat- 



26 THE ORIENTAL 

ing and escaping for want of a few quarts of some absorb- 
ent. 

The floor of the stall should not have much inclination 
— only enough' to allow the water to pass off. The mora 
level the surface on which a horse stables, the better. 

It is said that '^sprung Itnees " are occasioned partly by 
standing on steep floors in the stable. That such a floor 
is not pleasant for the horse, is clearly seen in the fact 
that when such a stall is wide, the horse will stand across 
his stall, in order to find the most level position. 

Let the horse feel as naturally as possible in the stable. 
He has been furnished with a long neck in order that he 
may reach down to feed, as he does in the pasture, and not 
that he may reach up, and pull out a small lock of hay 
from the rack. Give a horse a manger to feed out of, so 
that he can enjoy eating, and do not oblige him to steal 
his fodder from a rack, with narrow spaces, as though ha 
did not deserve his keeping. It is thought that a horse will 
waste his hay if he is fed from a manger ; but he will not, if 
he has good hay, given in proper quantities. ^ 



AIR. 

The breathing of pure air is necessary to the existence 
and the health of man and beast. It is comparatively late- 
ly that this has been admitted even in the management of 
our best stables. They have been close, and hot, and foul, 
instead of airy, and cool, and wholesome. 

The stable should be as large, compared with the number 
of horses that it is destined to contain, as circumstances 
will allow. 

The stable with a loft over it should never be less than 
twelve feet high, and proper ventilation should be secured, 
either by tubes carried through the roof, or by gratings close 
to the ceiling. These gratings or openings should be en- 
larged or contracted by means of a covering or shutter, so 
that spring, summer, and autumn, the stable may possess 
nearly the same temperature with the open air, and in win- 
ter a temperature of not more than ten degrees above that 
of the external atmosphere. 

If the stable is close, the air will not only be hot, but 



HORSI CHARMER. 27 

foul. The breathing of every animal contaminates it ; and 
when in the course of the night, with every aperture stop- 
ped, it passes again and again through the lungs, the blood 
can not undergo its proper and healthy change ; digestion 
will not be so perfectly performed, and all the functions 
of life are injured. Let the owner of a valuable horse 
think of his passing twenty or twenty-two out of the twen- 
ty-four hours in this debilitating atmosphere ! Nature does 
wonders in enabling every animal to accommodate itself 
to the situation in which it is placed, and the horse that 
lives in the stable-oven suffers less from it than would 
scarely be conceived possible ; but he does not, and can 
not, possess the power and the hardihood which lie would 
acquire under other circumstances. 



GROOMING. 

Many persons go at this business as if they were rubbing 
the skin of the rhinoceros, instead of that of one of the 
most sensitive of the animal race. A comb with part of 
the teeth gone should never be used ; and whatever be the 
condition of the comb, it should be handled carefully 
about the legs and head of the animal. If a horse is not 
thus handled, he will soon become restive, and perhaps 
acquire the pernicious habit of kicking, or biting. Bad 
habits once being formed, the horse is declared vicious^ 
and is proscribed, when it is really the hostler who is en* 
titled to ihe epithet and the proscription. 

If the horse is very tender, it is better to wash with warm 
water, and use only a soft brush. 

Much need not be said of this to the agriculturist, since 
custom, and apparently without ill effect, has allotted so 
little of the comb and brush to the farmer's horse. The 
animal that is worked all day, and turned out at night, 
requires little more to be done to him than to have the 
dirt brushed off his limbs. Regular grooming, by render- 
ing his skin more sensible to the alteration of temperature, 
and the inclemency of the weather, would be prejudicial. 
The horse that is altogether turned out, needs no groom- 
ing. The dandruff, or scurf, which accumulates at the roots 
of the hair, is a provision of nature to defend him from the 
wind and the cold. 



28 THB ORIENTAL 

It is to the stabled horse, highly fed, and little or 
irregularly worked, that grooming is of so much conse- 
quence. Good rubbing with the brush, or the curry-comb, 
opens the pores of ihe skin, circulates {he blood to the 
extremities of the body, produces free and healthy perspi- 
ration, and stands in the room of exercise. No horse will 
carry a fine coat without either unnatural heat or dressing. 
They both effect the same purpose ; they both increase 
the insensible perspiration : but the first does it at the 
expense of health and strength, while the second, at the 
same time that it produces a glow on ihe skin, and a deter> 
mination of blood to it, rouses all energies of the frame.' 
It would-be well for the proprietor if he were to insist — and 
to see that his orders are really obeyed — that the fine coat 
in which he and his groom so much delight, is produced by 
honest rubbing and not by a heated stable and thick 
clothing, and most of all, not by stimulating or injurious 
spices. The horse should be regularly dressed every day, 
in addition to the grooming that is necessary after work. 



LIGHT. 

This neglected branch of stable management is of far 
more consequence than is generally imagined; and it is 
particularly neglected by those for whom these treatises are 
principally designed. The farmer's stable is frequently 
destitute of any glazed window, and has only a shutter, 
which is raised in warm weather, and closed when the 
weather becomes cold. When the horse is in the stable 
only during a few hours in the day, this is not of so much 
consequence, nor ofsomuch, probably, with regard to hors- 
es of slow work ; but to carriage-horses and hackneys, so 
far, at least, as the eyes are concerned, a dark stable is 
little less injurious than a foul and heated one. In order to 
illustrate this, reference may be made to the unpleasant 
feeling, and the impossibility of seeing distinctly, when 
a man suddenly emerges from a dark place into the full 
blaze of day. The sensation of mingled pain and giddiness 
is not soon forgotten ; and some minutes pass before the 
eye can accommodate itself to the increased light. If this 
were to happen every day, or several times in the day, the ^ 
sight would be irreparably injured, or possibly blindness 



HORSE CHARMER. 29 

would ensue. Can we wonder, then, that the horse, taken 
from a dark stable into a glare of light, feeling, probably, as 
we should under similar circumstances, and unable for a 
considerable time to see anything around him distinctly, or 
that the frequently repeated violent effect of sudden light 
should cause inflammation of the eye so Intense as to termi- 
nate in blindness ? There is, indeed, no doubt that horses 
kept in dark stables are frequently notorious starters, and 
that abominable habit has been properly traced to this cause. 



EXERCISE. 

The first rule we would lay down is, that every horse should 
have daily exercise. The animal that, with the usual stable 
feeding, stands idle for three or four days, as is the case in 
many establishments, must suffer. He is predisposed to 
fever, or to grease, or most of all diseases of the foot ; and if, 
after three or four days of inactivity, he is ridden far and 
fast, he is almost sure to have inflammation of the lungs 
or of the feet. 

A gentleman's or a tradesman's horse suffers a great 
deal more from idleness than he does from work. A stable- 
fed horse should have two hours' exercise every |*day if he 
is to be kept free from disease. Nothing of extraordinary, 
or even of ordinary labor, can be effected on the road or 
in the field, without sufficient and regular exercise. It is 
this alone which can give energy to the system, or develop 
the powers of any animal. 



LITTER. 

No heap of fermenting dung should be suffered to remain 
during the day in the corner,' or in any part of the stable. 
With regard to this, the directions of the master should be 
peremptory. 

The stable should be so contrived that the urine shall 
quickly run off, and the offensive and injurious vapor from 
the decomposing fluid and the litter will thus be materially 
lessened, but if this is effected by means of gutters and a 
descending floor, the descent must be barely sufficient to 
cause the fluid to escape, as if the toes are kept higher 



30 THE ORIENTAL 

than the heels, it will lead to lameness, and is also a fre- 
quent cause of contraction of the foot. Stalls of this kind 
certainly do best for mares ; but for horses we much pre- 
fer those with a grating in the center, and a slight inclina- 
tion of the floor on every side toward the middle. A short 
branch may communicate with a large drain, by means of 
which the urine may be carried off to a reservoir outside 
the stable. Traps are now contrived, and may be procur- 
ed at little expense, by means of which neither any offen- 
sive smel! nor current of air can pass through the grating. 



FOOD. 

There are few horses that do not habitually waste a por- 
tion of their hay; and by some the greater part is pulled 
down and trampled under foot, in order first to cull the 
sweetest and best locks, and which could not be done while 
the hay was enclosed in the rack. The observation of this 
induced the adoption of manger-feeding, or of mixing a 
portion of chaff (i. e., cut feed) with the grain and beans. 
By this means the animal is compelled to chew his food ; 
he can not, to any degree, waste the straw or hay ; the 
chaff is too hard and too sharp to be swallowed without 
sufficient mastication, and, while he is forced to grind that 
down, the oats and beans are ground with it, and yield 
more nourishment; the stomach is more slowly filled, and 
therefore acts better on its contents, and is not so likely to 
be overloaded ; and the increased quantity of saliva thrown 
out in the lengthened maceration of the food, softens it, 
and makes it more fit for digestion, 

Chaff may be composed of equal quantities of clover or 
meadow hay, and wheaten, oaten, or barley straw, cut into 
pieces of a quarter or half an inch in length, and mingled 
well together ; the allowance of oats or beans is afterwards 
added, and mixed with the chaff. 

For the agricultural and cart horse, eight pounds of oats 
and two of beans should be added to e\ery twenty pounds 
of chaff. Thirty four or thirty-six pounds of the mixture 
will be sufficient for any moderate-sized horse, with fail*,, 
or even hard work. The dray and wagon horse may re- 
quire forty pounds. Hay in the rack at night is, in this 



HORSE CHARMER. 3] 

case, supposed to be omitted altogether. The rack, how- 
ever, may remain, as occasionally useful for the sick horse, 
or to contain tares or other green feed. We would caution 
the farmer not to set apart too much damaged hay for the 
manufacture of the chaff. Much more injury is done by 
eating damaged hay or musty oats than is generally ima- 
gined. There will be sufficient saving in the diminished 
cost of the provender by the introduction of the straw, and 
the improved condition of the horse, without poisoning him 
with the refuse of the farm. For old horses, and for those 
with defective teeih, chaff is peculiarly useful, and for 
them the grain should be broken down as well as the 
fodder. 

While the mixture of chaff with the grain prevents it 
from being to rapidly devoured and a portion of it swallow- 
ed whole, and therefore the stomach is not too loaded with 
that on which, as coniaining the most nutriment, its chief 
digestive power should be exerted, yet, on the whole, a great 
deal of time is gained by this mode of feeding, and more is 
left for rest. When a horse comes in wearied at the close 
of the day, it occupies, after he has eaten his grain, two or 
three hours to clear his rack. On the system of manger- 
feeding, the chaff being already cut into small pieces, and 
the beans and oats bruised, he is able fully to satisfy his 
appetite in an hour and a half. Two additional hours are 
therefore devoted to rest. This is a circumstance deserving 
of much consideration even in the farmer's stable, and of 
immense consequence to the post-rider, the stage-coach 
proprietor, and the owner of every hard worked horse. 

Manger food will be the usual support of the farmer's 
horse during the winter, and while at constant or occasion- 
al hard work; but from the middle of April to the end of 
July, he may be fed with this mixture in the day and turn- 
ed out at night, or he may remain out during every rest-day. 
A team in constant employ should not, however, be suffer- 
ed to be out at night after the end of July. 

The farmer should take care that the pasture is thick and 
good ; and that the distance from the yard is not too great, 
or the fields too large, otherwise a very considerable por** 
tion of time will be occupied in catching the horse in the 
morning. He will likewise have to take into consideration 



32 



THE ORIENTAL 



the sale he would have for his hay, and the necessity for 
sweet and untrodden pasture for his cattle. On the whole, 
however, turning out in this way, when circumstances will 
admit of it, will be found to be more beneficial for the horse, 
and cheaper than soiling in the yard. 

Few grooms make good gruel; it is either not boiled 
long enough, or a sufficient quantity of oatmeal has not 
been used. The proportions should be, a pound of meal 
thrown into a gallon of water, and kept constantly stirred 
until it boils, and five minutes afterwards. 

Barley is more nutritious than oats, containing nine hun- 
dred and twenty parts of nutritive matter in every thousa id. 
There seems, however, to be something necessary besides 
a great proportion of nutritive matter, in order to render 
any substance wholesome, strengthening, or fattening; 
therefore it is that, in many horses that are hardly worked, 
and, indeed, in horses generally, barley does not agree 
with them so well as oats. They are occasionally subject 
to inflammatory complaints, and particularly to surfeit and 
mange. 

When barley is given, the quantity should not exceed a 
peck daily. It should always be bruised, and the chaff 
should consist of equal quantities of hay and barley-straw, 
and not cut too short. 

Wheat contains nine hundred and fifty-five parts of nu- 
tritive matter. Wheat contains a greater portion o^ gluten , 
or sticky, adhesive matter, than any other kind of grain. 
It is difficult of digestion, and apt to cake and form ob- 
structions in the bowels. This will oftener be the case if 
the horse is suffered to drink much water soon after feeding 
upon wheat. But a horse that is fed on wheat should have 
very little hay. The proportion should not be more than 
one truss of hay to two of straw. 

Bran, or the ground husk of the wheat, used to be fre- 
quently given to benefit some sick horses on account 
of the supposed advantage derived from its relaxing 
the bowels. There is no doubt that it does operate gently 
on the intestinal canal, and assists in quickening the pas- 
sage of its contents, when it is occasionally given ; but it 
must not be a constant^ or even frequent food. Bran may, 
however, be useful as an occasional aperient in the form 



H0S8E CHARHEIS; «« 

of a mash, but never should become a regular article of 
food. 

Beans form a striking illustration of the principle, that 
the nourishing or strengthening effects of the different ar- 
ticles of food depend more on some peculiar property 
which they possess, or some combination which they form^ 
than on the actual quantity of nutritive matter. Beans 
contain but five hundred and seventy parts of nutritive 
matter, yet they add materially to the vigor of a horse* 
There are many horses that will not stand hard work with- 
out beans being mingled with their food, and these not 
horses whose tendency to purge it may be necessary to 
restrain by the astringency of the bean. There is no trav- 
eler who is not aware of the difference in the spirit and 
continuance of his horse whether he allows or denies him 
beans on his journey. They afford not merely a temporary 
stimulus, but they may be daily used without losing their 
power, or producing exhaustion. They are indispensable 
to the hard-worked coach horse. 

The straw of the bean is nutritive and wholesome, and 
ia usually given to the horses. Its nutritive properties are 
supposed to be little inferior to those of oats. The small 
and plump bean is generally the best. 

Peas appear to be in a slight degree more nourishing 
than beans, and not go heating. They contain five hun- 
dred and seventy -four parts of nutritive matter. For hor- 
ses of slow work they may be used ; but the quantity of 
chaff should be increased, and a few oats added. 

Linseed is sometimes given to sick horses— ^raw, ground, 
and boiled. It is supposed to be useful in cases of caiarrh. 

Hay is most in perfection when it is about a twelve- 
month old. The horse would prefer it earlier, but it is 
neither so wholesome nor so nutritive, and often has a 
purgative quality. When it is about a year old, it retains 
or should retain somewhat of its green color, its agreeable 
smell and its pleasant taste. It has undergone the slow 
process of fermentation, by which the sugar which it con? 
tains is developed, and its nutritive quality its fully exer- 
cised. Old hay becomes dry and tasteless, andinnutritivo 
and unwholesome. 

It is a good practice to sprinkle the k^y with water inf 
3 



d4 THE ORIGINAL 

which salt h&s been dissolved. It is evidently more pala- 
table to the animal, who will leave the best unsalted hay 
for that of an inferior quality that has been moistened with 
brine; and there can be no doubt that the salt very materia 
ally assists the progress of digestion. The preferable way 
of salting hay is to sprinkle it over the different layers as 
the rick is formed. ; 

Of the value of Tares, as forming a portion of the late 
spring and summer food of the siabled and agricultural 
horse, there can be no doubt. They are cut after the podis 
are formed, but a considerable time before the seeds are ripe. 
. — They supply a larger quantity of food for a limited time 
than almost any other forage-crop. When surfeit-lumps 
appear on ,the skin, and the horse begins to rub himself 
against the divisions of the stall, and the legs swell, and the 
heels threaten to crack, a few tares, cut up with the chaff, 
or given instead of a portion of the hay, will afford consid- 
erable relief. Ten or twelve pounds may be allowed dailyi 
and half that weight of hay subtracted. - ; 

I Rye Grass affords a valuable article of food, but is infe- 
rior to the tare. It is not so nutritive. It is apt to scour, 
and, occasionally, and late in the spring, it is injurious to 
the horse. 

Clover, is inferior to the tare and the rye grass, but 
nevertheless, is useful when they cannot be obtained. Clo- 
ver hay is, perhaps, preferable to meadow hay for chaff. 
It will sometimes tempt the sick horse, and may be given 
with advantage to those of slow and heavy work: 
. Carrots, this root is held in much esteem. There is 
none better, nor perhaps so good. When first given it is 
slightly diuretic and laxative ; but as the horse becomes ac- 
customed to it, these effects cease to be produced. They 
also improve the state of the skin. They form a good sub- 
stitute for grass, end an excellent alterative for horses out 
of condition. 

Potatoes have been given, and with advantage, in their 
raw state, sliced with the chaff; but, where it has been con- 
venient to boil or steam them, the benefit has been far more 
evident. Purging has then rarely ensued. Half a dozen 
horses would soon repay the expense of a steaming boiler 
in the saving of provender, without taking into the account 
their improved condition and capability for work. 



HORSE CHARMER. 35 

The times of feeding should be as equally divided as con* 
venience will permit ; and when it is likely that the horse 
will be kept longer than usual from home, the nose-bag 
should invariably be taken. The small stomach of the 
horse is emptied in a few hours ; and if he is suffered to 
remain hungry much beyond his accustomed time, he will 
afterwards devour his food so voraciously as to distend the 
stomach and endanger an attack of staggers. 

Water. — This is a part of stable management little re- 
garded bv the farmer. There is nothing in which the dif- 
ferent effect of hard and soft water is so evident, as in the 
stomach and digestive organs of the horse. Hard water, 
drawn fresh fiomthe well, will assuredly make the coat of 
ahorse unaccustomed to it stare, and it will not unfrequent- 
ly gripe and otherwise injure him. He is injured, however, 
not so much by the hardness of the well water as by its 
coldness — particularly by its coldness in summer, and when 
it is many degrees below the temperature of the atmos- 
phere. The water in the brook and the pond being warm- 
ed by long exposure to the air, as well as having become 
soft, the horse drinks freely of it without danger. 

There is a prejudice in the minds of many persons 
against the horse being fully supplied with water. They 
think that it injures his wind, and disables him for quick 
and hard work. If he is galloped, as he too often is, im- 
mediately after drinking, his wind may be too often irre- 
parably injured; but if he were oftener suffered to satiate 
his thirst at the intervals of rest, he would be happier and 
better. It is a fact unsuspected by those who have not 
carefully observed the horse, that if he has frequent access 
to water, he will not drink so much in the courseof the day, 
as another will do, who, to cool his parched mouth, swaK 
lows as fast as he can, and knows not when to stop. 

On a journey, a horse should be liberally supplied with 
water. When he is a little cooled, two or three quarts 
may be given to him, and after that his feed. Before he 
has finished his corn, two or three quarts more may be of- 
fered. He will take no harm if this is repeated three or 
four times during a long and hot day. 



^, THE OHIENTAL 



THE SENSE OF SMELL. 

The sense of smell is so much used by the horse, that 
many have supposed he could be charmed by certain com* 
pounds of peculiar odor. Fancher and others used horse- 
chestnut, origanum, rhodium, and various Oriental mix> 
tures concocted by quacks, for the purpose of charining; 
the horse. 

No doubt any thing that is pleasing to the sense of smell 
in the horse, will please him ; and so far as you gratify 
this sense by the application of pleasing aromatics, so far 
you gain the confidence and favor of the horse, just as you. 
would do by giving him a good dinner; but that there is 
any thing about this sense in the horse that can be appeal* 
ed to or made available by any unnatural or unphilosophi- 
cal means, is as great a humbug as the celebrated Move? 
powders' made into lozenges, which green ones are in- 
duced to purchase for the purpose of making some favorite 
lass love them against her will. Dismiss all such nonsense, 
at once, and act upon the hypothesis that there is true phi- 
losophy in the mode of accomplishing anything. 

The horse uses his nose, because he has not hands as 
we have, to fesl of objects; just as the elephant uses hm 
trunk. 

But this continual use of the nose in the horse is not tO; 
he overlooked or neglected. Since it is his mode of detect- 
ing the harmlessness or hurtfulness of any object, you 
must always submit every thing to this test. If you know 
it is a mere whim in your horse, and a very unsuccessful 
way of detecting a steel trap from a coffee mill, still it is 
his way and you should always satisfy him by letting him 
smell of every object he desires to, except a steel trap or 
a pot of snufF. 

, Once his sense of smell tells him that a handkerchief, 
a halter, a stirrup, a bed blanket, or anything else that at- 
tracts his notice and excites his fears will not hurt him, he 
will then go to it, or allow you to put it on him. There 
need be no superstitious notions entertained in regard to it 
— it is enough if such results are produced by natural and 
philosophical principles. 



HORSE CHARMEH. 3T 



MANAGEMENT OF THE FEET. 

This is the only division of stable management that remains 
to be considered, and one sadly neglected by the carter 
and groom. The feet should be carefully examined every 
morning, for the shoes may be loose and the horse would 
have been stopped in the middle of his work ; or the clench- 
es may be raised, and endanger the wounding of his legs ; 
for the shoe may begin to press apon the sole or the heel, 
and bruises of the sole, or corn, may be the result ; and, 
the horse having stood so long in the stable, every little 
increase of heat in the foot, or lameness, will be more read- 
ily detected, and serious disease may often be prevented. 

When the horse comes in at night, and after the harness 
has been taken off and stowed away, the heels should be 
well brushed out. Hand-rubbing will be preferable to 
washing, especially in the agricultural horse, whose heels, 
covered with long hair, can scarcely be driedjagain. If the 
dirt is suffered to accumulate in that long hair, the heels 
will become sore, and grease will follow ; and if the heels 
are washed, and particularly during the winter, grease will 
result from the coldness occasioned by the slow evaporation 
of the moisture. The feet should be stopped — even the feet 
of the farmer's horse, if he remains in the stable. Very 
little clay should be used in the stopping, for it will get 
hard and press upon the sole. Cow-dung is the best stop- 
ping to preserve the feet cool and elastic ; but before the 
stopping is applied, the picker should be run around the 
whole of the foot, between the shoe and the sole, in order 
to detect any stone that may have insinuated itself there, 
or a wound on any other part of the sole. For the hack- 
ney and hunter, stopping is indispensable. After several 
days' hard work it will afford very great relief to take the 
shoes off, having put plenty of litter under the horse, or to 
turn him, if possible, into a loose-box ; and the shoes of 
every horse, whether hardly worked or not, should be re^ 
moved or changed once in every three weeks. 



38 THE ORIENTAL HORSE CHARMER. 

POINTS OF A GOOD H'JR^E. 

Hk should be about fifteen and a half hands high ; the head 
light, and clean made ; wide between the nostrils, and the 
nostrils themselves large, transparent and open ; broad in 
the forehead, eyes prominent, clear and sparkling ; ears 
small, neatly set on; neck rather short, and well up ; large 
arm or shoulder, well thrown back, and high ; withers arched 
and high ; legs fine, flat, thin, and small boned ; body round 
and rather light, though sufficiently large to afford sub- 
stance when it is needful ; chest, affording play for the 
lungs; back short, the hind quarter set on rather obliquely. 
Any one possessing a horse of this make, and weighing 
eleven or twelve hundred pounds, may rest assured he is 
a horse of all work, and a bargain well worth getting hold of. 



The Age of Horses. — In relation to a new way of tell- 
irg a horse's age, the. Southern Planter says : "A few days 
ago we met a gentleman from Alabama, who gave us a 
piece of information in regard to ascertaining the age of a 
horse, after he or she has passed the ninth year, which 
was new to us, and will be, we are sure, to most of our 
readers. It is this : After the horse is nine years old, 
a wrinkle comes on the eyelid at the upper corner of the 
lower lid, and every year thereafter, he has one well defined 
wrinkle for every year over nine. If, for instance, the 
horse has three wrinkles, he is twelve ; if four, he is thirteen. 
Add the number of wrinkles to nine, and you will always 
get it. So says the gentleman ; and he is confident it will 
never fail. As a good many people have horses over 
nine, it is easily tried. If true, the horse dentist must give 
up his trade." 



PART III. 



DISEASES AND THEIR CURE. 



TO MIX A BALL. 

A ball should never weigh over an ounce and a half; it 
should be an inch in diameter and two to three inches 
long ; mix the medicine whatever it may be, with oil and 
meal flour, or any similar substance. Mix only for a few 
days at a time, lest they become hard and injure the 



TO GIVE A BALL. 

Never use an iron or wooden instrument to push it 
down. Back the horse in the stall, talk to him in a kind- 
ly tone all the while, have the ball in the right hand^ 
with the left gently draw out the tonge and hold it on the 
off side of the mouth, pressing the fingers against the 
side of the lower jaw. Now with the right hand pass the 
ball down the throat not losing your hold of it, nor let- 
ting it touch the tongue or sides of the mouth, until it 
reaches the palate, then give it a toss, instantly withdraw- 
ing the hand, and give the horse a slight tap under the 
chin, and down it will go 



GLANDERS. 

The earliest symptoms of Glanders is an increased dis- 
charge from the nostril, small in quantity, constantly 
flowing, of a watery character, and a little mucus ming- 
ling with it. ; r 

If a horse is in the highest condition, yet has this 
small watery constant discharge, and especially from one 
nostril, no time should be lost in separating him from his 
companions. 

Glanders have often been confounded with strangles, 
and by those who ought to have known better. StranglciS 



40 r THE ORIENTAL 



1 



are peculiar to young horses. They have also been con- 
founded with catarrh or cold; but the distinction between 
them is plain enough. Fever, and loss of appetite and 
sore throat, accompany cold. In glainders, there is sel- 
dom cough of sin f cbnsequence, and generally no cough 
at all. 

In a well settled case of glanders it is not worth while, 
except by way of experiment at a veterinary school, to 
attempt any remedies. The chances of cure are too re- 
mote, and the danger of infection too great. 

If, however, remedial measures are resorted to, a pure 
atmosphere is that which should first be tried. Turn out 
the horse, and, if practicable, on a salt marsh — but much 
caution is requisite, as the grass, and even the fenced 
may receive the glanderous matter; and hardening ori 
them, it may months afterward communicate the disease 
to horses ; and there is not yet decided proof that sheep 
and cattle are not subject to the same malady. 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH. ■ 

Op tlie diseases of the teeth in the horse, we know little?. 
Carious or hollow teeth are occasionally, but not often, 
seen ; but the edges of the grinders, from the wearing off 
of the enamel, or the irregular growth of the teeth, be- 
come rough, and wound the inside of the cheek ; it is 
then necessary to adopt a summary, but effBctual mode 
of cure ; namely, to rasp them smooth. Many bad ul- 
cers have been produced in the mouth by neglect of this. 

The teeth sometimes grow irregularly in length. They 
should be reduced to the level of the others with a saw, 
and occasionally looked to, because the difficulty will re- 
turn. Decayed teeth should be removed to prevent in- 
jury to the other teeth and to the jaw. 

Fever, cough, catarrhal affections generally, disease of 
the eyes, ■ 

cutaneous affections, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and gen- 
eral derangement, will frequently be traced by the care- 
ful observer to irritation from teething, in the colt. ' 

It is a rule scarcely admitting of the slightest devia- 
tion, that, when young horses are laboring under any fe- 
brile affection, the mouth should be examined, and if the 



HORSE CHAHMmE. 41 

tuslies aii'ie ptoiiiinent and pushing against the gums, a 
cut in the form of a cross should be made across upon 
them. Relief will often be immediate. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 

The O)«imort luflammation is generally sudden in its at^ 
tack. The lids will be found swelled and the eyes par- 
tially closed, and some weeping. The inside of the lid will 
be red, some red streaks Tisibie on the white of the eye, 
and the corner slightly dim. Cooling applications to the 
eye, as the Goulard's extract or tincture of opium, with 
mash-diet, and gentle physic, will tisually abate the evil; 
or the inflammation will subside without Haedical treat- 
ment. 



poll-evil. 
From the horse rubbing and sometimes striking his poll 
against the lower end of the manger, or hanging back in 
the stall and bruising the part with the halter — or from 
the frequent and painful stretching of the ligaments and 
muscles by unnecessary tight reining, and, occasionally, 
from a violent blow on the poll, inflammation ensues, and 
a swelling appears, hot, tender, and painful. 

The first thing to be attempted is to abate the inflam- 
mation by bleeding, physic, and the application of cold 
lotions to the part. In a very early period of the case a 
blister might have considerable efiect. Strong purgatives 
should also be employed. By these means the tumor 
will sometimes be dispersed. This system, however, must 
not be pursued too far. If the swelling increases, and 
the heat and tenderness likewise increase, matter will 
form in the tumor ; and then our object should be to has- 
ten its formation by warm fomentations, poultices, or 
stimulating embrocations. As soon as the matter is 
formed, which may be known by the softness of the 
tumor, and before it has time to spread around and eat 
into the neighboring parts, it should be evacuated. Now 
eomes the whole art of treating poll-evil; the opening in- 
to the tumor must he so contrived that all the matter shall 
run out, and continue afterwards to run out as quickly as 
it is formed, and not collect at the bottom of the ulcer, 



42 THE ORIENTAL 

irritating and corroding it. This can be effected by a seton 
alone. The needle should enter at the top of the tumor, 
penetrate through its bottom, and be brought out at the 
side of the neck, a little below the abscess. Without 
anything more than this, except frequent fomentation 
with warm water, in order to keep the part clean, and to 
obviate inflammation, poll-evil in its early stage will frer 
quently be cured. 

STRANGLES. 

This is a" disease principally incident to young horses. 
It is preceded by a cough, and can at first be scarcely dis- 
tinguished from common cough, except that there is 
more discharge from the nostril, of a yellowish color, 
mixed with pus, and generally without smell. 

As soon as the tumor under the jaw is decidedly appa- 
rent, the part should be actively blistered. From the 
thickness of skin, poultices, fomentations, etc., are of lit- 
tle avail. The blister will also abate the internal inflam- 
mation and soreness of the throat, and thus lessen the 
cough and wheezing. 

As soon as the swelling is soft on its summit, and evi" 
^ently contains matter, it should be freely and deeply 
lanced. The remainder of the treatment will depend on 
the symptoms. If there is much fever, and evident affec- 
tion of the chest, and which should carefully be distin^ 
guished from the oppression and choking occasioned by 
the pressure of the tumor, it will be proper to bleed. In 
the majority of cases, however, bleeding will not only be 
unnecessary, but injurious. A few cooling medicines, 
as niter, emetic tartar, and perhaps digitalis, may be giv^ 
en, as the case requires. 



PALSY. 

It commences generally in one hind-leg, or perhaps both 
are equally affected. The animal can scarcely walk — he 
walks on his fetlocks instead of his soles — he staggers at 
every motion. At length he falls. He is raised with 
difficulty, or he never rises again. - :M 

The treatment is simple. It should commence witlji 
bleeding until the pulse begins to falter or the horse to 



HORSE CHARMER. 43 

reel. To this should follow a strong cathartic. The loins 
should be covered with a mustard poultice frequently re- 
newed. The horse should be warmly clothed, supplied 
plentifully with mashes, but without a kernel of grain in 
them ; and frequent injections administered. 



MANGE. 

Is a pimpled or vesicular eruption. After awhile the 
vesicles break, or the cuticle and the hair fall oif, and 
there is, as in obstinate surfeit, a bare spot covered with 
scurf — some fluid oozing from the skin beneath, and this 
changing to a scab, which likewise soon peels off, and 
leaves a wider spot. This process is attended with con- 
siderable itching and tenderness, and thickening of the 
skin, which soon becomes more or less folded, or pucker- 
ed. The mange generally first appears on the neck at 
the root of the mane, and its existence may be suspected 
even before the blotches appear, and when there is only 
considerable itchiness of the part, by the ease with which 
the short hair at the root of the mane is plucked out. 
From the neck it spreads upward to the head, or down^ 
ward to the withers and back, and occasionally extends 
over the whole carcass of the horse. 

One cause of it is neglected or inveterate surfeit. Sev- 
eral instances are on record in which poverty of condition, 
and general neglect of cleanliness, preceded or produced 
the most violent mange. The most common cause is 
contagion. Amidst the whole list of diseases to which 
the horse is exposed, there is not one more highly con- 
tagious than mange. If it once gets into a stable, it 
spreads through it, for the slightest contact seems suffic- 
ient for the communication of this noisome complaint. 

If the same brush and currycomb is used on all the 
horses, the propagation of mange is assured ; and horses 
feeding in the same pasture with a mangy one rarely es- 
cape, from the propensity they have to nibble one another. 

The propriety of bleeding in cases of mange depends 
on the condition of the patient. If mange is the result 
of poverty, and the animal is much debilitated, bleeding 
will increase the evil, and will probably deprive the con- 
Btitution of the power of rallying. Physic, however, is 



44 THE ORIENTAL 

indispensable in every case. But mange in the horse te^ . 
sembles itch in the human being — medicine alone wili ' 
never effect a cure. There must be some local applica- 
tion. Sulphur is indispensable for mange. In an early 
and not very acute state of mange, equal portions of 
sulpher, turpentine, and train-oil, gently but well rubbed 
on the part, will be applied with advantage. A tolerably 
stout brush, or even a curry-comb, lightly applied, should 
be used, in order to remove the dandriff or scurf. After 
that, the horse should be washed with strong soap and 
water as far as the disease has extended : and, when he 
has been thoroughly dried, the ointment should be well 
rubbed in with the naked hand, or with a piece of flannel. 

During the application of the ointment, and as soon as 
the physic has set, an alterative ball or powder should be 
daily given. If, after some days have passed, no progress 
should appear to have been made, half a pound of sul- 
phur should be well mixed with a pint of oil of tar, or, 
if that is not to be obtained, a pint of Barbadoes tar, and 
the affected parts rubbed, as before. On every fifth or 
sixth day, the ointment should be washed off with warm 
soap and water. The progress towards cure will thus be 
ascertained, and the skin will be cleansed, and its pores, 
opened for the more effectual application of the oint- 
ment. 

It will be prudent to give two or three dressings after 
the horse has been apparently cured, and to continue th^ 
alteratives for ten days or a fortnight. 

SURFEIT. 

Large pimples or eruptions often appear suddenly on 
the skin of the horse, and especially in the spring of the 
year. The disease most frequently appears when the 
skin is irritable during or after the process of moulting, 
or when it sympathizes with any disorder of the stomach. 
It has been known to follow the eating of poisonous 
herbs or mowburnt hay, but, much oftener, it is to be 
traced to exposure to cold when the skin was previously 
irritable and the horse heated by exercise. 

If there is simple eruption, without any marked inflam- 
matory action, alteratives should be resorted to. There 



HORSE CHARMER. ^ 

is no better alterative than that which is in common use, 
pulverized antimony, niter, and sulphur. They should 
be given on several successive nights. The night is bet- 
ter than the morning, because the warmth of the stable 
will cause the antimony and sulphur to act more power- 
fully on the skin. Th« horse should be warmly clothed 
— half an hour's walking exercise should be given, an, 
additional rug thrown over him — such green feed as- 
can be procured should be used in moderate quantities^ 
and the chill should be taken from the water. 

Should the eruption continue or assume a more violent 
character, bleeding and aloes must be had recourse to, 
but neither should be carried to any extreme. The phys- 
ic having set, the alteratives should again be had recourse 
to, and attention should be paid to the comfort and diet 
of the horse. 



TETANUS OR LOCKED JAW. 

The horse, for a day or two, does not appear to be quite 
well ; he docs not feed as usual ; he partly chews his food,; 
and drops it; and he gulps his water. 

The ears are erect, pointed forward, and immoveable ; 
if the horse is spoken to, or threatened to be struck, they 
c^iange not their position. 

The treatment of tetanus is simple — the system must he 
tranquillized. The grand agent in accomplishing this is 
copious bleeding. Dhe animal should be bled until he 
falls, or the pulse evidently falters. Twenty pounds of 
blood have been safely taken in such cases. 

The profuse bleeding will generally relax the muscles >; 
of the jaw, so that a dose of physic can be administered. 
Eight or ten drachms of aloes should be given. If the 
remission of the spasm is slight, there is another purga- 
tive—not so certain in its action, but more powerful when 
it does act — the farina of the Croton nut. 

Clysters will be useful in assisting the action of the 
purgative. A solution of Epsom salts will constitute the 
safest ane best injection. As to medicine, opium is not 
only a valuable drug, but it is that on which alone depen- , 
dence can be placed in this disease. It will be borne ixki 
dose?, from lialf a drachm to two drachms. ,q moQii 



46 THE ORIERTAL 



Gentle friction with the hand along the course of th 
spine, aud the application of an opiate liniment, is highlyh 
useful. J 



WARTS. 

There are some caustics available, but frequently th^ 
must be removed by an operation. If the root is very J 
small, it may be snipped asunder, close to the skin, with,l 
a pair of scissors, and touched with the lunar caustic, i 
If the pedicle or stem is somewhat larger, a ligature of 
waxed silk should be passed firmly round it, and tighten- 
ed every day. 



BOT&. 

Are caused by the egg of the Gad-fly, being licked from 
the skin of the horse and thus conveyed to the stomach, 
where they are hatched, cling to the stomach, and are 
finally evacuated. 

Some writers, as Youatt and others, contend that they 
are incurable, while others recommend fresh blood, sweet- 
ened milk, or any thing that will nauseate slightly. A 
writer in the Eastern Agriculturist recommends giving a 
few sheaves of Barley. 'i 

It is seldom I pay any attention to them, but when 1 
do, it is in the use of some simple remedy, like sweetened 
milk, sometimes followed by half a pint of ground^mus- 
tard seed. 

RABIES, OR madness. 

This is a fearful disease of the nervous system. It re- 
sults from the bite of a rabid animal, and, most commonly, 
of the companion and friend of the horse — the coach-dog. 
;;^The horse goes out to his usual work, and, for a cer- 
tain time and distance, performs it as well as he has been 
accustomed to do ; then he stops all at once — trembles, 
heaves, paws, staggers and falls. 

When the disease can be clearly connected with a pre- 
vious bite, the sooner the animal is destroyed the better, 
for there is no cure. If the symptoms bear considerable 
resemblance to rabies, although no bite is suspected, the*-* 
horse should at least be slung, and the medicine, if any' 



1 HORSE CHARMER. --''T 4^ 

liis administered, given in the form of a drinkj and with 
■the hand well-protected; for if it should be scratched in 
[balling the horse, or the skin should have been previous- 
ly broken, the saliva of the animal is capable of com- 
municating the disease. 

If a horse is bitten by a dog under suspicious circum- 
stances, he should be carefully examined, and every 
wound, and even the slightest scratch, well burned with 
I the lunar caustic (nitrate of silver). The scab should be 
removed and the operation repeated on the third day. 
The hot iron does not answer so well, and other caustics 
are not so manageable. The caustic must reach every 

part of the wound. ■ '• '■' *''*> ^- 

., ,^,.-j'U> in'ui'Hi-.d 

FITS OR EPILEPSY. ' Sflf Jl-iislb OV/T 

The only hope of cure consists in discoYeriilg thei cauSB 
of the fits; and an experienced practioner must be con- 
sulted, if the animal is valuable. Generally speaking, 
however, the cause is so difficult to discover, and the ha- 
bit of having fits is so soon formed, and these fits will so 
frequently return, even at a great distance of time, that 
he who values his own safety, or the lives of his family, 
will cease to use an epileptic horse. 

GALLS ON HORSES, &C. 

One of the best means to prevent galls on horses, is to 
wash the parts most liable to injury with whisky, saturat- 
ed with alum. The following is an excellent receipt for 
an ointment for wounds and sores of all kinds, and for 
horses, when galled by the saddle or collar, and also for 
broken chiblains : Take of honey 12 ounces, yellow bees- 
wax four ounces, compound galbanum plaster six ounces, 
sweet oil half a pint. Put the honey into a jar by the fire, 
then melt the other ingredients and mix them together, 
to be spread very thin on linen, and changed twice a day. 



HEAVES. 

This disease is so well known that nothing need be said 
of its symptoms, causes or eff"ects. Twenty remedies at 
least are known to the Veterinary Physician, and proba- 
bly every farmer knows of five. About the best I know 



4$ ^ THE OREBSTJa, HORSE CHARMEm. 

of is a mixture of equal parts of Balsam Copavia and BaW 
sam of Fir, with enough, of magnesia to enable you tOi 
make into balls about the size of a crab apple and give 
one every night and morning, until a cure is effected. 



TO CURE WORMS. 

Worms are indicated by a dull, sleepy appearance of the 
eyes ; by the ruff appearance of the hair and want of gloss, 
and by the horse losing flesh without any other apparent 
cause. He also shows less inclination to eat, and if toa 
long neglected, worms will often pass through the bowela 
and be discharged in the dung. 

A pint of neats foot oil followed in about 24 hours with 
half pint of castor oil is th^ best remedy known. 

Two drachms of Tartar Emetic, mixed with a little 
ground glass or filings of tin, compose an^^exeelleat 
remedy. 



COLIC. 

The appearance of this disease may be known from the 
coldness of the horses ears and legs, and by his general 
uneasiness, getting up and laying down often, looking 
around at his flanks, etc., etc. 

Take the proportions of 1 oz. black pepper to half pint 
of whisky, mix, shake and rub on the .belly of the horse. 

:^.TOl( 00 *[[/.. — ^ ii:;.uil i.- 

' ■ ■ CRACKED HEEI/Si ' : 

Take two drachms of alum, dissolve in a pint of water 
and bathe the part affected. 



FltATULENT COLIC. 

The aromatic spirit of ammonia, one or two ounces, dis- 
BkOlved in a pijsit of warm water, ia a good remedy. 



DIARRHEA, DYSENTERY, OR LOOSENESS. 

One to three drachms of opium, according to the power 
of the disease is an excellent aad safe astringent. 



3477-125 
Lot 50 



